Folding vehicle-top.



F. D. GREEN. v

FOLDING VEHICLE TOP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. I915- 1,%268,83% PatntedJim 11, 1918.

WITNESSES INVENTOIZ {QM FR'EDERKK. 0.6mm.

WWW/

FREDERICK DEWITT GREEN, BRANTFORD, ONTARIO, CANADA.

" FOLDING VEHICLE-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1918.

Application filed June 1, 1915. Serial No. 31,630.

minion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Vehicle-Tops, ofiwhich thefollowing is a specification.

invention relates to improvements in folding vehicle tops and the object. of the invention is to devise atop in which when folded none of the bows of the top are permitted to come in contact with the rear rest and in which the side curtains will lie freely between the rearbow and the rear rest without being pinched. A further object is to devise a top in which none of the bows of the same are subjected to any. bending action over the rear rest when the top is in the folded position and a still'further object is to devise a top which when in the folded position is supported in such a manner that the bows of the top are relieved of all bending action due to the weight of the top and thereby eliminate the tendency of the top to sag when folded.

My invention consists of a collapsible brace which is attached to the rear rest and to the horizontal collapsible top in which the pivot is in proximity to the hinged connection between such brace and the horizontal collapsible brace. The lower portion being bent so as to extend forwardly at a point in proximity to the hinge so that the length is approximately the same as the distance between the hinge and the conection to the horizontal brace as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a top constructed according to my invention with the top in the raised position.-

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the top in the partially folded position with the top material removed so as to show the position of the bows and the collapsible braces.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the collapsible brace.

Fig. t is an enlarged view showing the hinge of this brace in detail with the rivet head cut away.

Fig. 5 is a verticalsection of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of the top of the collapsible brace showing a groove therein which straddles the bow when in the folded position.

'tion of the brace 7.

Fig. 7 is a section of this detail on the line C6LZ. r i

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different views.

1 is the carriage body. 1 is the seat. 2, 3, 4|: are the side bows of the top. 5 is the front rest to which the bows 2, 8, 4: are pivoted. 6 is the rear rest to which the collapsible brace 7 is pivoted at its lowerflend. S is a horizontally disposed collapsible brace hinged at 9 and pivoted to the bows 2 and 3 at 10 and 11 respectively. The brace 7 is pivoted at its upper end at 11. 12 is a hinge in the brace 7. 13 is a portion bent forwardly from the lower part of said hinge. 14: is a bend in the brace 7 from which bend the lower part of the brace extends in a straight line to the rear rest 6. 15 is a rivet on which the hinge 12 operates. 16 is a groove in the forward face of the top por- A hole is provided in the lower end of brace 7 which pivots on the rear rest 6.

Hitherto vehicle topshave been So con structed that the rear bow 4c rests on the rear rest 6, when the top is in the folded position. In this construction the side curtains are pinched between the bow and the rear rest and soon tear and wear.

Further the whole weight of the top is carried by the outer end of this bow which as a result is subject to a very severe bending strain over the rear rest and the top soon sags. Another effect of this construction is that the rivets by which the side bows are pivoted to the front rest soon shear. In my invention these disadvantages are entirely overcome as due to my invention the rear bow at cannot come in contact with the rear rest 6 and therefore in the folded position the Side curtains lie freely between the bow and rest and are subjected to no pinching or wear at that point.

Further in my invention as is clearly shown in Fig. 2 the top is suspended when folded by a cantaliver suspension about the point 5, 6 and 11, so that the bows are subjected to no bending action and the whole suspension is rigid and no sagging can possibly occur. I provide a groove in the front face of the top end of the brace 7 which is engaged by the said brace when in the folded position so that no side motion can occur and the rigidity of the suspension is increased thereby.

By my invention the rivets at the front rest 5 are relieved of the greater amount of the strain tending to shear them as a result of the absence of any bending of the bows over the rear rest. In tops of the ordinary types there are many devices used to relieve the rear bow 4: of the bending action over the rear rest (3 and the consequent sagging, of the top, which devices include cushions, springs and the like. The object of them all is to hold the bow away from the rest but in a short time they all fail and the bow rests on the rear rest. It will be noticed that by my invention these devices are unnecessary as the bow cannot come in contact with the rest.

A further advantage of my invention is the greater degree of safety against collapsing of the top due to sudden jars or the like. In the ordinary top the brace 7 is practically straight so that the hinge 12 is very little it any in advance of the straight line joining the ends 11, and 6, and as a result a jar due to rough roads or the like is suflicient tocause the top to collapse. In my invention however, this hinge is very considerably in advance of this straight line and as a result the top is much less likely to collapse.

Many modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit the form shown is to be taken in an illustrative and not in a limitingsense. For instance while I have shown a top having three side bows with the auxiliary bow pivoted to the center one, my invention applies equally to a top having any number of side bows and in which the auxiliary bow is pivoted to any of the side bows.

I have also described the use of a similar collapsible brace on each side of the top but it might be that the result could be obtained by the use of only one such brace and Iwish to cover all modifications of my invention in this respect.

What I claim as my invention is:

A folding vehicle top including anintermediate bow, a rear rest, an upwardly curved brace pivoted to said rest, and a pivoted connection shorter thansaid brace between said how and the free end of the brace whereby when the top is folded,- said bow will be supported: from said brace above and out of contact with the rest.

G. NICHOLSON, W. G. FISHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

